In the soup

     It seems that The Duck Soup Inn has changed hands 3 times in less than a year.  That was a cause for concern for me, wondering why such a venerable restaurant on San Juan Island would have such a rapid succession of owners.  So with fear and trepidation I went there for dinner, having made a reservation for the evening of my first full day on the island.



     My fears were for naught, fortunately.  I began with a half dozen wonderfully smoked oysters from nearby Lopez Island that had a tangy poblemo drizzle then moved on to a tomato bisque soup which gave way to a generous portion of Alaskan King Salmon with risotto and roasted figs.  And somehow I also found room to enjoy a garden salad with fresh strawberries and cherries adorning the greens.

 



     The setting, the ambiance, the service and the meal were all excellent.  It was a memorable meal.  My only regret is that it is so far away!

Who knew?

    The Pacific Northwest is known for a number of local food items.  Apples, pears, oysters and salmon among them.  But few, if any, consumers would recognize that no less than 90% of all the rhubarb grown in the United States comes from Washington State.  Who knew?

     Rhubarb is a herbaceous perennial with  triangular leaves  and long, fleshy petioles (stalks).  It has a strong tart taste and grows year round.  And depending on where you live, it is classified as either a fruit or a vegetable.

     Rhubarb is known to be a strong laxative and its leaves are poisonous.  So one needs to exercise caution when preparing it for the dinner table.

The Pacific Northwest

     It took an entire day to get to my destination using a variety of conveyances, employing cars, vans, planes, trains and ferries.  But after a very long day of travel I was finally in the Pacific Northwest on one of over 600 islands called the San Juans.  I arrived in Friday Harbor just after 6pm and made my way to the Trumpeter Inn which was to be my base of operations for the next week.  My goal was to research the cuisine of the region.

     What I came to discover was that Pacific Northwest cuisine is really an amalgam of many cultures, for it is essentially a land of immigrants.  The food reflects the cultures of a wide variety of peoples that incorporates Asian, Native American, Italian and Greek influences, among others.  But basically it highlights fresh ingredients, simply prepared.  With a vast coastline stretching from northern Alaska to southern Oregon they enjoy Pacific salmon, king crab, halibut and herring in addition to numerous shellfish like oysters, clams and dungeoness crabs.  Inland crops include apples, stone fruit, berries and mushrooms.  And there is no shortage of wild game either.  Meat from moose, caribou, elk, bear and Dall sheep can be roasted or smoked to provide protein in the daily diet.

     Undoubtedly it is an international fusion.  But there are also some unique tastes as well.  Where else can you dine on stinkheads or geoducks?

     Join with me on a tour of a cultural and culinary exploration of the Pacific Northwest as my story unfolds.



More Culinary Research

  This will be my last VinnyPost until August.  I'm off to conduct more culinary research!  This time I will be traveling to the Pacific Northwest to a small group of islands off the Washington State coast.

     It will be an interesting combination of land and sea and I am anticipating enjoying the wonders of both as I do my investigating. 

In fact, I already have reservations for dinner at The Duck Soup Inn!  Can't wait to see what that's all about.  Hope it's all it's quacked up to be.

Flexing Your Mussels

   

 When it comes to shellfish there seems to be a definitive order of preference.  At the top of the list is lobster, followed by crabs and then shrimp.  And from there it goes down to clams, scallops and finally mussels.  But at Chick's Tavern in Bridgeport, PA the lowly mussel no longer has to sit in the back of the bus, especially on Monday nights.




    
The local eatery has been run by the Chiccarine family for 4 generations since 1935 and draws a crowd for their Monday night special, all you can eat mussels for under $15.  The choice is yours for steaming hot mussels in either red or white sauce, accompanied by all the bread you need to sop up the broth.  It's a real bargain!

     And if you're feeling really adventurous you can participate in their annual "Mussel Bowl" each January for top honors in consuming as many of the bivalves as you can in 10 minutes.  This year's champion, Edward Brennan, downed an amazing 279 to become the champion.  His reward?  Free mussels for a year on Monday nights!



Half Cold

     On these unbearably hot days here in the Northeast, what could be better than a cool and refreshing gelato or scoop of ice cream?  Let me introduce you to a staple in most Italian restaurants that will provide you with a whole new perspective on staying cool in style.  It's semifreddo, a fluffy, sliceable derivation of ice cream, only better.  It has been described at the richest, most luscious and most decadent member of the frozen dessert family.

     Meaning half cold in Italian, semifreddo maintains a soft, velvety texture even right out of the freezer.  "Because it contains so much sugar and air, it will never freeze into a hard, dense block the way ice cream does," so claim Mark Scarbrough & Bruce Weinstein, co-authors of two cookbooks about frozen desserts.  They go on to say that you don't even need any fancy special equipment to make it either, not even an ice cream maker.

     There are only three components to a semifreddo:  Whipped cream, zabaglione, and Swiss meringue.  The whipped cream adds richness and air, the zabaglione, a light and foamy Italian sauce of egg yolks, sugar and flavorings does the same with the added benefit of incorporating a variety of flavors from liqueurs, to chocolate, to fresh fruit.  And finally the thick glossy Swiss meringue, a mixture of egg whites and sugar, adds an additional level of sweetness and loft.  Simply fold all three elements together, freeze in a loaf pan, slice and serve.  It's abondonza!



Green Greens

 
     Fresh fruits and vegetables are crisp because their cells are packed with water, so says Fine Cooking magazine.  In fact, most produce consists of at least 70% water.  For delicate lettuce leaves, losing as little as 5% of that moisture causes wilting.  That's why baby salad greens so often turn limp.

     The crisper drawer in your refrigerator is designed to retain moisture within fruits and vegetables.  To achieve just the right amount of moisture in the air, crisper drawers are vented with levers or dials to adjust the humidity and air flow.  For the crispest vegetables, especially leafy ones, keep the vent one-third to one-half open to ensure a humid environment yet allow some ventilation.

     For crisp fruit, keep the vent closed to minimize the amount of oxygen that flows into the compartment.  It may sound strange, but ripe fruit breathes on a cellular level.  Plant cells take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.  During the final stages of ripening, cell respiration increases by as much as five times, so closing the crisper vent slows down respiration and increases storage life of the fruit.

     Now you know!

World Cultures

     Intrigued by the concept of chilled soup I went on line recently to look for a recipe using cherries.  I enlisted the assistance of a great website, Epicurious.com, and found just what I was looking for.  Then, on a trip out to the Green Dragon Farmers' Market one Friday I picked up the necessary ingredients and was ready to give it a try.

     After sampling some, my Executive Soup Taste Tester, Al Novack, commented that the final product was nothing like the cold cherry soup his German mother used to make.  He then did some background research to discover that there are numerous different cultural variations on the theme.  He mentioned to me of a French style that incorporates wine into the mix.  There are also Polish and Hungarian variants as well.  It seems that each European culture has their own take on cold cherry soup.  I was amazed at Al's findings and appreciated his scholarship.

     The recipe that I used is found in The Vegetarian Cookbook written by Dana Shaw.  Here it is for you to try:

Cold Cherry Soup

1 cup loosely packed dried apples

2 pounds cherries, pitted and chopped

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 cups buttermilk

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

    

     Place the dried apples and cherries in a medium saucepan with water to cover by an inch.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low.  Simmer until the apples and cherries are soft enough to puree, about 30 minutes.

 

     Puree with a food processor and return to low heat.  Transfer 1/4 cup of the puree to a separate bowl and whisk in the cornstarch until the mixture is smooth.  Whisking constantly, pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan.  Continue whisking until the mixture thickens, about 7 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.

 

     Stir in the buttermilk, cover, and chill thoroughly, at least 3 hours.  Ladle the soup into 4 bowls and sprinkle each serving with lime juice.



Chillin' Out

     I love soup.  Any kind of soup.  And more than that, I really, really enjoy cooking any number of varieties of soups all year long.  From hearty minestrone, to creamy tomato or the earthy flavors of mushroom soup there is nothing that fills the house with the inviting fragrance of food like a soup simmering on the stove.  And that also goes for the not so distant soup relatives: stews, chili and gumbo.

     And as different as each recipe is there is one thing that unites them all.  They are all cooked and served piping hot to warm both body and soul on a chilly damp day.

     So you can imagine my skepticism when I recently came across a recipe for a chilled cantaloupe & cucumber gazpacho.  Cold soup?  To me that is somewhat of an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms.  But it's been hot here lately, uncomfortably hot.  So I thought I would give it a try.  I loosely followed the instructions and put all the ingredients in the food processor then allowed everything to chill out in the 'frig for a couple hours.  Then as an appetizer for an evening meal on a hot summer's day I served it up.

     It is decidedly an acquired taste and took some getting used to for me, as I have heretofore always associated soup with something warm, not cool.  But it was a very refreshing way to begin the meal at a kitchen table without air conditioning.  I think I could be converted to this new twist on an old standby.  In fact, I even investigated how to make a chilled cherry soup and tried that later in the week and enjoyed it just as much.

     Here is the recipe for you to try in these dog days of Summer:

Cantaloupe & Cucumber Gazpacho

 

1/2 medium cantaloupe, seeded & chopped

1/2 cucumber peeled and chopped

2 Tbsp red onion, chopped

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 cup EVOO

 

Put all chopped ingredients into a food processor and run until smooth.  While the machine is still running drizzle in the EVOO.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Chill in the refrigerator for several hours and serve garnished with thinly sliced fresh mint.

 



New Nominclature for Carnivores

After 18 months of collaborative research by the National Pork Board and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association a new list of names are being used for over 350 cuts of pork and beef. 




"Putting new labels on familiar pork cuts will make it easier for consumers..." so says National Pork Board President Conley Nelson. 

     And apparently the USDA agrees.  They have approved the new consumer friendly meat labels.  Many of the terms previously reserved for beef will now also apply to pork. 

Consider the following:

     What we formerly recognized as a pork loin rib will now be called a rib eye chop, and the bone-in pork loin chop is now to be addressed at a porterhouse chop.  The lowly and oft maligned pork butt will be elevated to a new status as a blade roast.  The pork loin chop gets a makeover as a classy New York chop.  We will also soon be seeing T-bone pork chops and boneless rib eye pork chops at the meat market, not to be confused with their beefy counterparts.

  

     Beef cuts are also getting renamed.  The top blade will come to be known as a flat iron steak and the underblade cut is now a mile high as a Denver steak.  The petite chuck is now labeled as a shoulder petite tender.

     Parallels are also now being drawn to suggest similar cooking methods between beef and pork cuts.  Would you like your pork T-bone medium rare with just a touch of pink in the center?
    

Diner Trivia Answers

     Here are the answers to Friday's trivia questions about all things pertaining to diners:

1.  New Jersey has the distinction of being termed the "diner capital of the world."

2. Originally decaf coffee pots were rimmed in orange to identify them with Sanka coffee which came in orange packaging.  But now it is generally designated to represent any decaffeinated coffee being served.



3. The painting "Nighthawks" is the art work of Edward Hopper.

4. Diner waitresses have been dubbed "soup jockeys."

5. Sonic is not considered a chain serving diner food.  They specialize in burgers.

6. Northeast diners are predominantly owned by families of Greek descent.  Opa!

And an additional interesting factoid: 
          Grilled cheese was originally served as an open-faced sandwich!

Diner Trivia

 

    

 

     As American as the 4th of July, apple pie and hamburgers, the diner has been a fixture on the landscape of small towns and interstates for nearly a century.  The July/August issue of Food Network Magazine carried an interesting quiz entitled "What's Your Diner IQ?"

 

     Here are a few of the questions:  See how smart you are!

 

 

1. Which State is often called "the diner capital of the world"?

     a. California

     b. New Jersey

     c. Texas

     d. New York

 

2. Why do decaf coffee pots have an orange rim?

     a. That how America's first diner served it.

     b. Waitresses in the 1920s served decaf in orange mugs

     c. A popular decaf brand used to come in an orange package

 

3. Who painted this famous diner scene?

 

 

     a. Edward Hopper

     b. Vincent van Gough

     c. Georgia O'Keefe

     d. Grant Wood

 

4. A nickname for a diner waitress is a:

     a. Plate pitcher

     b. Counter guard

     c. Soup jockey

     d. Pancake kicker

 

5. Which franchise chain is not considered a diner?

     a. Sonic

     b. Johnny Rockets

     c. Denny's

     d. Waffle House

 

6. The owners of many diners in the Northeast descend from:

     a. Greece

     b. Spain

     c. Italy

     d. Germany

 

Answers will be revealed on Monday!



A Fourth of July Tradition

    

     Think of Independence Day and what comes to mind?  Probably parades, picnics and fireworks.  But on Coney Island there is a different tradition going on.  This year the 98th Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Easting Contest will take place.  And as one pundit put it "...It's a dogfight, a roast, a frank encounter, a contest to win in the wurst way.  In short, it's an event that devours puns.  With relish." 

 

     The annual 4th of July hot dog eating contest is set to roll today in Coney Island with chomp champs Joey Chestnut and & Sonya Thomas defending their respective men's and women's titles of 68 weiners and buns for the men and 45 dogs in a roll for the women.

     When asked about his strategy Chestnut replied it would be "...to find my rhythm really quickly...trying to eat a little more gracefully, conserve my energy."  Thomas, nicknamed "The Black Widow" at 100 pounds said that for her the challenge is "more mental than physical."

     Meanwhile, standing helpless by at yesterday's weigh in, Mayor Bloomberg, the self proclaimed champion of culinary self restraint could only say  "...let's be frank," and that he was looking forward to eventually congratulating the "weiner of the contest."

Secret Ingredient

     I've had one recipe in my file for several years.  And so last weekend I finally had the opportunity to try it out after purchasing a dozen ripe tomatoes at the Green Dragon Market in Ephrata, PA on Friday.  The recipe was graciously given to me by another gourmande, Sue Bond, and it is for her "Fresh Tomato-Dill Soup."

     With my newly acquired sense of freedom with recipes I did vary a bit from the printed script, substituting Vadalia onions for leeks, and also peeling and coring the tomatoes.  I also increased the amounts of the other ingredients to compensate for the extra tomatoes I had on hand.  But I was intrigued by one "secret ingredient" that was listed.  Who would have thought to include condensed cream of mushroom soup in tomato soup?  But it worked and gave an added depth to the flavor.  It was a decided hit with my executive soup taster, Al Novack.  Here's the recipe:

Fresh Tomato-Dill Soup

 

4 Tbsp butter                                            dash of pepper

1 cup sliced leek                                       2 cups milk

3 cloves finely chopped garlic              2 cans cream of mushroom soup

6 cups chopped tomatoes                     4 Tbsp (plus) chopped fresh dill

4 tsp sugar                                                dill sprigs for garnish

 

     Melt butter in pan until sizzling; add leek and garlic.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until leek is softened (3 to 5 minutes).  Stir in tomatoes, sugar and pepper.  Continue cooking until mixture comes to a boil (5 to 7 minutes).  Reduce heat to low.  Cover; cook until tomatoes are tender (8 to 10 minutes).  Increase heat to medium.  Add milk and soup.  Cook until soup is heated through (3 to 5 minutes).  Stir in chopped dill.  Garnish with fresh dill sprigs, if desired.

What's in a Name?

     Last week I decided to splurge and went to my fishmonger and purchased a nice thick fillet of Chilean sea bass.  The beautiful white buttery tasting fish grilled up in just a few minutes and made a mouth watering meal.  But I wonder if it would have tasted so good had I known the fish's real name.  The Patagonian Toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) lives in the cold waters of the southern Atlantic, Pacific & Indian Oceans and can also be found on the continental shelves of most sub-Antarctic islands.  They average 15-22 pounds but can live up to 50 years and grow to a weight of over 200 pounds. 

     They are not a pretty fish, in fact, they are rather fearsome looking.  And their proper name doesn't help much either.  Their marketed name Chilean sea bass was invented by fish wholesaler Lee Lantz in 1977 to make the fish more attractive to North American markets.
     There was a time that they were very attractive to commercial fishing interests, however.  And at one point 2/3 of all the toothfish harvested were done so illegally by fishing "pirates."  That's why they were removed from many restaurant menus and fish markets.  But now through the efforts of the Marine Stewardship Council and the Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators overfishing has been virtually eliminated through regulating fishing waters and licensing boats.  Many Chilean sea bass are now raised in fisheries in places like Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Australia and Chile (of course!).

     In the food chain the Toothfish eat squid, other fish & crustaceans and in turn they are eaten by sperm whales, elephant seals, and humans with some money to spend!





What's New?

     As many of you know, I can hardly wait each summer for the news of the new fair food that will be served at the Great Minnesota Get-Together at the end of August.  The list is out!  And here's what the Star Tribune recently said: 

     "Fans of food on a stick and all things deep fried have some new reasons to look forward to the Minnesota State Fair." 



     Yes, with the likes of Porketta Pig Wings and Wine Glazed Deep Fried Meatloaf, this year's new additions are not for the weight conscious or those worried about high cholesterol counts.  There are nearly 4 dozen new concoctions to consider this time around.  You've probably never tried a Candied Bacon Cannoli or Deep Fried Olives, but for 12 glorious days at the fair you can try them, and on a stick, no less!  There are savory items like Pork Belly Sliders that you can wash down with a Peanut Butter & Jelly Sundae.  And you can begin your day with a Breakfast Sausage Corndog, a sausage link dipped in pancake corndog batter and then deep fried and served with a side of maple syrup.  If you're still hungry after that you can top it off with a Grilled Glazed Donut with strawberry mint dipping sauce.



     But I am reserving judgement on one new items that will be served there.  I'll have to wait and see how the waffle fries topped with Philly steak, sauteed onions, red and green bell pepper and melted cheese stands up to our local sandwich favorite back here in the City of Brotherly Love.

For a complete listing of "What's New?" just click on the highlighted question.